"Toller" wrote in message
...



If I had access to either I wouldn't be asking advice here.
But Grizzly would have to be real crap to be worth that much less than
Laguna, and people seem happy with Grizzly in general, so it probably
isn't crap.


FIY, I strongly suspect also that the Griz in not crap. It all boils down
to what you are comfortable with in spending and willing to compromise with.
I had the $1,000 Rikon that got glowing reviews, "in it's class". What I
was looking for was a trouble free set up, perfect tracking, plenty of power
for resawing, and smooth operation. In my case I paid about 150% more than
the Rikon and for me I got what I wanted. IMHO well worth the extra money.
My purchase also included the mobility kit, shipping, Resaw King blade and 3
other blades. Discounting those items would have dropped the price more
then $500. My Laguna is so much more convenient to use that I use it for
more than I ever had used my previous BS. I don't think twice about
rolling it out and making a small cut rather than using the jig saw like I
used to do.

If you are in a hurry, I'd say go with the Griz, that is "probably" a safe
and economical choice.
If you want a lot of band saw that requires little to no prep and tweaking
before each use, I would say to look into Laguna and MiniMax. Both of those
companies have demo DVD's that point out advantages and in general what to
look for when shopping for a new BS.
I can say that if you step up to the Laguna or MiniMax you will not be
disappointed and may walk away with a silly grin on your face every time you
use it.
IMHO if you are going to use the saw occasionally any brand will probably be
good. If you are going to be using the saw regularly I'd say set your
sights a bit higher.